Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
3-minute read
18 July 2025 | 08:45 CAT

📸 Umlazi’s healthcare workers under siege: Armed robberies and lack of security leave clinics vulnerable, PSA calls for urgent action. Image: Newzroom Afrika

The Public Servants Association (PSA) has issued an urgent call for action following a violent armed robbery at the K Clinic in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal. Two armed suspects stormed the facility on 15 July, hijacking a UKZN state vehicle at gunpoint and leaving healthcare workers traumatised and reluctant to return to work.

“This is not an isolated event,” said PSA representative Xolani Dhlamini. “All of Umlazi’s public clinics are vulnerable. Incidents like this occur regularly, making it impossible for staff to work freely.”

Dhlamini confirmed that the PSA had recently met with the Health Department and other stakeholders to discuss security challenges. “The department themselves admitted they don’t even know where to begin,” he revealed.

Despite previous incidents and warnings, many clinics continue to operate without any permanent security infrastructure. According to Dhlamini, the security response is short-lived. “They station SAPS at a clinic for a week after an incident, then they disappear. The police say they don’t have vehicles or manpower.”

In a controversial yet desperate suggestion, the PSA has proposed the temporary closure of affected clinics. “It’s not about abandoning healthcare,” explained Dhlamini, “but a strategy to involve communities in mobilising against this criminality. These perpetrators live in the same areas. If the clinics close for five days, the community may take ownership of their safety.”

However, the human cost is staggering. Staff remain without proper trauma support. “There was no counselling for the workers,” said Dhlamini. “The department puts them all in one room and calls it therapy. That is not counselling, especially for someone who’s been held at gunpoint multiple times.”

Equally concerning are reports that CPF forums are demanding money from clinic staff and local businesses for protection. “It’s very confusing,” said Dhlamini. “There’s no real community engagement as the Premier claims. It’s all just talk.”

The PSA warns that unless meaningful steps are taken, including permanent security, mobile clinics for the most vulnerable, and community mobilisation. Umlazi’s clinics will remain under siege. As Dhlamini said bluntly: “We don’t know what to do anymore.”

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up with Moulana Junaid Kharsany and Xolani Dhlamini.